just make that double batch and send it along here, Lee,

hint for recipe
"W. Baker" > wrote in message
...
> Julie Bove > wrote:
> : I was thinking about this. Although there have been convenience foods
> for
> : as long as I can remember, the types of convenience foods I buy and
> consume
> : have changes.
>
> : As a child, my mom did cook some but they bought a lot of precooked
> things
> : or packaged things. Like Rice A Roni, Noodle Roni, Kraft Macaroni and
> : Cheese, Hamburger Helper (didn't come onto the market until I was
> older),
> : boxed puddings, Shake N'Bake, canned soups, frozen fish sticks, frozen
> : slices of turkey in gravy and of course the dreaded TV dinners. Our
> : vegetables mostly came from cans. I did grow some in our garden but we
> have
> : such a short growing season here. So we didn't get a lot from it. We
> did
> : almost always have a salad with dinner but it was almost always just
> iceberg
> : lettuce. My mom doesn't like a lot of other stuff on her salad. And
> she
> : doesn't eat dressing. Her spaghetti sauce came from a little packet
> that
> : you added water to. Perhaps there was meat added as well. I don't
> : remember. She didn't make it often as we certainly didn't like it. The
> : taco seasoning also came from a packet and that wasn't well liked
> either.
> : We did like tacos. Just not the stuff from the packet. She never
> seemed to
> : cook it long enough or something and it came out watery. We always had
> : frozen berries which were often picked by us during the summer. We did
> have
> : fresh fruit. She did bake cookies but often they were the packaged
> kind.
>
> : Then I got my first apartment. At first what we ate was a mishmash of
> : things. Partly because we didn't have a lot of money and partly because
> of
> : our different cooking styles. I had a roommate. I considered his mom
> to be
> : a very good cook, but she did cook things much differently than my mom
> did.
> : We did eat some things out of packets because they were new to us. And
> some
> : things were just bad! We did eat a lot of frozen pot pies. They
> certainly
> : weren't good but they were cheap!
>
> : That roommate moved out and the next one wasn't into cooking at all. I
> had
> : a series of roommates after that. Most just let me do the cooking. One
> was
> : very picky with her money and cooked only for her and her friends,
> although
> : she did let me try a meal once. One was Jewish and had to keep to his
> own
> : dietary stuff for that and some other reasons. He was a bit of an
> oddball
> : and his mom was on the Pritikin diet. I never got into the whys or
> : wherefores of his diet. I just allowed him to have his own spaces in
> the
> : kitchen.
>
> : So anyway... I guess I developed my own style of cooking.
>
> : At first I made everything from scratch when I could. Pizza dough,
> bread,
> : pasta, even ravioli. I did cook meats on occasion for friends but I
> myself
> : was a vegetarian. Of course there were times when money was tough.
> Like
> : the month that I ate spaghetti (from a package) and tomato sauce (I did
> make
> : that myself) for the entire month because I couldn't afford much more.
>
> : I did eat Carnation Instant breakfast bars for breakfast most mornings.
> I
> : guess I felt they were loaded with vitamins or something. If I wasn't
> : eating those I had hard boiled eggs. And there was the time that
> Safeway
> : was closing out the Linda McCartney frozen meals. I believe they were
> vegan
> : but they might have been vegetarian. They were not something I bought
> very
> : often because they were normally not cheap. But at the closeout price,
> : you'd be a fool not to buy them. Unless perhaps you didn't like vegan
> : meals. My freezer was stuffed with them!
>
> : There were other times that I did stupid things because I thought I was
> : saving money. Like the time I bought the cart full of chicken flavored
> : Ramen noodles. I don't even think there was real chicken in that stuff.
> It
> : was Campbell's brand. I was sick when I bought them. I thought chicken
> : soup would be good for me. I'd never had Ramen noodles before. And I
> : quickly learned I didn't like them all that much. Heh.
>
> : When I got my microwave, I made all sorts of things in it. Muffins,
> pudding
> : from scratch. I even attempted to cook meats but I didn't care for how
> they
> : came out.
>
> : Now today it seems I am cooking less than ever. My pasta is dried. My
> : sauce from a jar. My polenta from a tube. I buy frozen chicken
> nuggets,
> : fish sticks and other fish. Frozen cooked hamburger and black bean
> patties.
> : Pre-cooked turkey and chicken. Pre-cooked roast beef. I do buy
> occasional
> : frozen meals like tamales, cheese enchiladas and other things for
> Angela,
> : like lasagna. I know lasagna is easy, but time consuming to make. My
> : problem with it is the egg. I always put egg in my cheese. And now I
> can't
> : have egg. I've been afraid to try it without for fear that it won't
> come
> : out well. But I can find a gluten free boxed single serve of lasagna
> for
> : her. And the other day I found an organic meal of chicken and rice for
> her.
>
> : So it would seem now that I am only making a meal at home about three
> times
> : a week. Once or twice I double the amount so we will have leftovers.
> We
> : don't really like leftovers but Angela has to take dinner to the dance
> : studio at least twice a week. I may only be cooking from scratch once a
> : week. And some weeks not even that! If I make pizza I start with a
> : pre-made crust and use a canned sauce. Macaroni and cheese comes from a
> : box. Some nights the meal is as simple as pre-made hummus with baby
> carrots
> : and some olives and other raw veggies. Or a bowl of cottage cheese with
> : canned pears.
>
> : I find I am not cooking so much simply because I don't have to! Yes
> there
> : are countless frozen meals on the market these days. Mostly I don't
> even
> : look at those because we are allergic to something in them. And of
> course
> : most are very high in carbs. But once in a while I will find something
> : suitable.
>
> : It's just that there are so many ingredients that are made up already.
> I
> : can get sliced onions, chopped tomatoes, strips of pepper all cut up. I
> : don't often buy these things but they are there. If I make meatloaf I
> : always add veggies and I do get those from the salad bar so I can buy
> just a
> : small quantity. It seems it is just so much easier these days to come
> up
> : with a good, balanced meal without having to do a lot of work.
>
> : So... Do you find that you are cooking more? Less? Or about the same
> as
> : you used to?
>
> I have always cooked using few prepared producs. I dotend to use jarred
> spaghetti sauce for convenience, but stil would do up a home made one
> usign canned tomatoes and fresh other vegetables. My mother only used
> boxed puddings and Kojel, a kosher jello, but we both have always made our
> own salad dressings. I generally cook from scratch, but no longer do much
> baking. Even now, that I am alone, I still cook frm scratch, but I do
> keep some packages of turkey, in case I don't feel like cooking a dinner
> and can make either a turkey salad or sandwich on low carb bread. I have
> trouble gettign quantities right, both in buying and cooking , but am
> doing some soups and stews which I use for several days and freeze for
> future meals. Aside from the occasional frankfurter, or other deli item,
> I woudl never consider using a precooked meat in any form. Vegetables are
> generally fresh. Just this week I pressure cooked a large number of beets
> adn have been eating them for several days. I like beets and, for some
> reason, they do not spike me.
>
> I eat out a bit more than I did before Syd died, as it is just too lonely
> eating in the dining foyer alone all the time. I have always cooked form
> scratch and enjoy, both the doing and the eating of my own cooking.
> That's not to say that I don't like beign asked out t somenes
> house:-)(hint, hint hint!)
>
> I enjoy making some of my family's traditional recipes and plan to make a
> single, rather than a double batch of the honey/ginger candy that was my
> great grandmother's recipe and who knows how much further back, for
> Passover this year. I am, no longer physically able to make the
> traditional Seder meal, so will be with my older son for the first night
> and a close friend the second.
>
> Wendy